Chapter 79
Recently, Baron Silvaris’s finances had taken a severe downturn. Not only the Asiel ducal house, but everyone who had invested in his business had withdrawn their funds.
In addition, pressure came from the bank where he had taken out a loan. He begged for more time, but the bank notified him that if he did not repay the money, they would seize the mansion he had put up as collateral.
With nowhere to get money immediately, he tried to approach his second daughter behind the duke’s back, but there was no way.
Unless he secretly entered the ducal estate.
At that time, someone approached him. He was a commoner who had made money through private lending, and he proposed that he would repay the debt in exchange for the title. In the current empire, the sale of titles was illegal.
But the man boldly said he wanted to become Elisa’s husband as a live-in son-in-law. It was obvious that he intended to naturally inherit the baron’s title, since the baron had no son.
Even if it was only the low rank of baron, he still had pride as a noble. Not wanting to bow his head to a commoner for money, he thought of another method.
If the duke died, then until a new heir from a collateral branch was established, his second daughter, the duchess, would inherit all the property.
Then, confident that he would be able to control his second daughter, who had no husband, as he pleased, he painstakingly found a channel and commissioned the duke’s assassination. By chance, he discovered that the duke would attend the festival, and he hastily moved the date of the assassination forward.
How great the thrill had been when he saw from afar the duke collapse from the poisoned blade.
And when he saw Elaria’s pale face, he felt relieved. A child who dared ignore her father’s letters deserved a harsh lesson.
At least until that day, Baron Silvaris believed that he had properly repaid the humiliation of being ignored by Lucian at the banquet and had properly disciplined his second daughter.
Until the emperor intervened.
“…It’ll be fine. How would they know. They said they value the client’s identity more than their own lives.”
That was why the commission fee had been extremely high. Since he had raised the money by selling even the heirloom jewelry passed down through generations, he sincerely hoped it would be worth the price.
As he sat holding his breath in the study, he heard Elisa’s screaming voice from afar and clicked his tongue in irritation.
“Why has she suddenly become so stupid?”
He was troubled by Elisa, who kept demanding more money even though he already gave her more than enough allowance. Even his wife’s voice, trying to placate Elisa, irritated him.
“She can’t even raise a child properly…”
Muttering in the darkness that this was why it was so difficult for him to handle matters outside, the baron grumbled. The household was truly a mess.
“But the death announcement will come soon.”
The assassin had said he would use a very rare poison. He had assured him that it would be almost impossible to obtain an antidote in the Karserion Empire.
“When the duke dies, I should go immediately and rein Elaria in. Insolent girl. To keep ignoring her father’s letters. An ungrateful fool who doesn’t even know the grace of being raised, a child like that only learns through the rod.”
He continued to spit out curses as the corners of his mouth lifted in hopeful anticipation. No one would ever suspect that the duke’s own Father-in-law had orchestrated this.
* * *
Recently, except when changing clothes, Elaria spent most of her time in the annex. She held tightly to Noctis’s hand as he lay asleep from the poison and never left his side.
“…Noct.”
She was tormented by guilt, feeling that this had happened entirely because of her. She should not have taken someone who had lived only within the estate straight to a crowded festival.
She should have helped him get used to going out little by little before taking him somewhere with so many people. Thinking she had carelessly asked Lucian, she prayed every day.
Praying that Noctis would wake safely.
“Ria, Noctis will definitely wake up.”
Since news of the duke’s injury had spread publicly, Lucian was also staying in the annex as if in hiding. He sat beside her. His expression was not good either. Especially seeing Noctis, who had the same face as his own, lying there had been a considerable shock.
“…Luce, when will the antidote arrive?”
“I received word earlier that it’s on its way quickly. It’s coming from another branch, not the capital, so it’s taking a little time. Still, it’s fortunate that our guild possesses the antidote.”
“They said it’s a poison that’s very difficult to cure, right?”
“‘Atra Serenis’, a poison created long ago by a great dark mage, meaning ‘Dark Silence’. It isn’t a lethal poison that kills instantly, but it forces the victim into sleep. No matter what stimulus is given, without the antidote, they cannot wake.”
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